Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP), a leading resource
for manufacturing companies in Massachusetts, and the Manufacturing Advancement
Center Workforce Innovation Collaborative (MACWIC) have provided 30 Massachusetts
Vocational/Technical High Schools teaching machine tool technology with Gold Level
online access to Jeremy Bout’s eduFactor videos <http://edufactor.org/default.aspx> .
These videos provide the schools with additional resources to promote their
manufacturing programs and the value of a career in manufacturing to
students and parents.

VIDEO: Noel Velez Finds a Home in Manufacturing
<http://edufactor.org/AssetPage.aspx?id=launchpoint_shifting-gears>

“These videos are part of MassMEP’s commitment to the future growth of a
workforce in manufacturing,” stated Jack Healy, Director of MassMEP. “They
will be used at the schools as an additional promotional resource for open
houses and recruitment nights. They can also be used with ninth graders
exploring career options, and most importantly, with the decision makers in
the students’ lives.”

MassMEP and their partner, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, have also
committed curriculum and software to support statewide skills attainment at
the high school level through MACWIC’s Applied Manufacturing Technology
Pathway Certification. The Certification serves two purposes: (1) to add
value and merit to the industry, encouraging individuals to consider careers
in manufacturing, and (2) to create a standard instruction set and
continually improved evaluation process so employers readily understand the
skill set and competencies of an applicant, thereby reducing the cost of
hire. The Certification is based on a skills set pyramid; Level One and
Level Two can be completed at the high school level.

To date, 229 students in manufacturing technology programs have been tested
at 14 Massachusetts technical/vocational high schools for competency in
Level One of the pyramid, the equivalent of entry level in a manufacturing
career.

“The MACWIC testing has provided our Precision Machining / CNC program with
great feedback for determining where gaps in skill levels exist and where
improvements can be made,” said Brian Cummings, Worcester Technical High
School. “Our relationship with the program and the addition of the eduFACTOR
subscription provides access to materials and promotional videos that we,
otherwise, would not be able to afford.”

At the Gold Level the schools have access to: EduTAINMENT Zone, Career
Pathway Zone, Technology Zone, Marketing Zone, Maker Projects, Open House
Project Zone, Virtual Presentation Zone, and Freemium Zone. Each area is
designed to provide the user with tools for them to use internally to
generate an interest in a career in manufacturing.

About MACWIC
The purpose of the Manufacturing Advancement Center Workforce Innovative
Collaborative is to preserve manufacturing tribal knowledge and to execute
the transfer of knowledge and critical skills to the current and future
workforce. For more information, visit http://www.macwic.org

“Each regulation is a complex subject because it must be light enough to prevent entrepreneurship from being squashed.”
— Jean Triole, 2014 Nobel Prize Winner for Economics

A 2014 study performed by RTI International examined the barriers to manufacturing growth in North Central Worcester County. The study found that regulatory challenges were impeding growth in close to 80% of the firms surveyed.

The study also found that costs like healthcare mandates, unemployment insurance, environmental regulations are as burdensome in terms of time and money. There was a general consensus among respondents about the amount of administrative overhead required to support such regulations. In the words of one survey respondent:

Regulations themselves (environmental) are not the problem; it’s the bureaucracy that goes along with it. The effort to comply is a heavy burden. You have to pay the state to file reports after you have done the work, thousands of dollars for fees alone. But the US EPA doesn’t charge fees. We must pay consultants who must approve. The fee is not based on production, but the number of employees…even if you don’t pollute. That needs to change. Requirements need to match actual pollution rates.

MassMEP, a leading resource for manufacturing companies in Massachusetts, today announced that Mark Weber has joined the organization as a Project Manager for the Western MA region. Mr. Weber joins MassMEP from Avery Products Corporation where he served as a Senior Technical Engineer. Mr. Weber has extensive experience in manufacturing and process improvement initiatives. For MassMEP clients, he brings together a broad range of knowledge in Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement, product development, automation, and business growth strategies. “Manufacturing is very much a part of the Western MA community and is continually growing,” said Jack Healy, Director of Operations, MassMEP. “Expanding our team in Western MA increases our capacity to provide services in operational excellence to advance performance, in workforce strategies to develop the next generation workforce, and in technical expertise for innovative growth solutions.” Mr. Weber stated, “I am very pleased to be a part of MassMEP. I now have the opportunity to combine my broad manufacturing consulting experience with my deep Lean and continuous improvement skills. MassMEP’s mission is a worthy one and I hope to be a significant factor in growing manufacturing in Western Massachusetts.” Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP), part of the national NIST MEP system, is a leading resource for manufacturers. Committed to success in manufacturing, MassMEP transforms companies through solutions focused on innovative growth, operational excellence, and workforce development. The organization cultivates a sustainable community built on supportive relationships, idea sharing, achievement, and next generation manufacturing. For more information, visit https://www.massmep.org.

The Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) recently hosted a delegation of Union presidents from the All Japan Council of Optical Industry Workers’ Union. The Council, representing 63,000 workers, wanted to review MassMEP’s reskilling program, which provides basic technical skills training for manufacturing, with a focus on machine operators. The goal of the visit was to understand how MassMEP and WPI are helping companies to improve their incumbent workers’ skills and provide pre-employment training to potential new hires.

“The Union presidents were interested in learning what kind of manufacturing has stayed in this country, as well as what type of manufacturing is currently being reshored,” said Jack Healy, Director of Operations, MassMEP. “Large Japanese manufacturers, similar to U.S. manufacturers, have moved much of their production facilities off shore. The cumulative effect of this has changed the former Japanese practice of lifelong employment to a more contingency-based (temporary) worker.”

It is reported that 40 percent of the manufacturing workforce in Japan is now temporary. An active discussion regarding the similarities and workforce concerns in both countries revealed several learning opportunities regarding the MassMEP / WPI partnership training programs that address some of the same concerns that the delegation is tackling in Japan.

Torbjorn Bergstrom, Director of the Haas Technical Education Center at WPI’s Washburn Shops, provided the Japanese delegation with a tour of the center, which features 11 Haas computer numeric control machines.

“WPI was happy to provide insights into retraining programs that have been so successful for us over the years,” said Bergstrom. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with groups on critical retraining efforts.”

In an effort to address retraining issues, MassMEP has developed the Applied Manufacturing Technology Pathway Certification. This credential is an advanced manufacturing certification program that serves two main purposes. One is to add value and merit to the industry to encourage individuals to consider careers in manufacturing. The second is to create a standard instruction set and evaluation process (which is continuously improved) so that employers readily understand the skill set of an applicant, therefore reducing the cost of hire.

The Applied Manufacturing Technology Pathway Certification, developed by the Manufacturing Advancement Center Workforce Innovation Collaborative (MACWIC), is a standard instruction set and evaluation process. Employers can readily understand the skill set of an applicant, reducing the cost of hire. The MACWIC credential is industry-developed and industry-recognized as a way to benchmark the competencies of manufacturing technology students.

In February 2014, MassMEP and WPI gave a $2.5 million grant in the form of software and educational materials to dozens of Massachusetts vocational high schools to allow students to gain skills on advanced high-tech machinery.

For recruiting programs, schools also received copies of Jeremy Bout’s Massachusetts “LaunchPoint” series that features local young people and their journeys into manufacturing.

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI is one of the nation’s first engineering and technology universities. Its 14 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, business, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. WPI’s talented faculty work with students on interdisciplinary research that seeks solutions to important and socially relevant problems in fields as diverse as the life sciences and bioengineering, energy, information security, materials processing, and robotics. Students also have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations around the world through the university’s innovative Global Perspective Program. There are more than 35 WPI project centers throughout North America and Central America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Europe. http://www.wpi.edu/.

About Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP), part of the national NIST MEP system, is a leading resource for manufacturers. Committed to success in manufacturing, MassMEP transforms companies through solutions focused on innovative growth, operational excellence, and workforce development. The organization cultivates a sustainable community built on supportive relationships, idea sharing, achievement, and next generation manufacturing. For more information, visit https://www.massmep.org.

MassMEP, a leading resource for manufacturing companies in Massachusetts, today announced that Miguel Cuenca has joined the organization as a Bilingual LEAN Training Specialist. Mr. Cuenca comes to MassMEP from Cambridge Endoscopic Devices and Snap-on Tools, where he served as a Mechanical Designer. MassMEP is launching a new bilingual training program to communicate essential information in the native language of many employees in manufacturing and other industries.

“MassMEP addresses the unique competitive challenges for manufacturers as well as the nature of its workforce,” said Jack Healy, Director of Operations, MassMEP. “Because a large proportion of workers in the manufacturing industry have limited English proficiency, offering manufacturing companies bilingual LEAN training will enable those employees to experience increased productivity and collaboration in the workplace and will ultimately increase customer satisfaction and retention.”

Mr. Cuenca stated, “Bilingual training is imperative in today’s society. I am excited to be given the opportunity to be a part of MassMEP’s commitment to manufacturing in Massachusetts. As a Bilingual LEAN Trainer, I will focus on providing LEAN instruction to both English and non-English speaking employees to help them to achieve their objectives and to be adequately trained.”

About Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MassMEP), part of the national NIST MEP system, is a leading resource for manufacturers. Committed to success in manufacturing, MassMEP transforms companies through solutions focused on innovative growth, operational excellence, and workforce development. The organization cultivates a sustainable community built on supportive relationships, idea sharing, achievement, and next generation manufacturing. For more information, visit www.massmep.org.

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